When only words suffice
by Sayie
Summary: Resa is bitten by a snake when she tries to run away from Capricorn's village. When Dustfinger saves her they need to find a way to communicate. This is the story of how Resa taught Dustfinger how to read. Slight Dustfinger/Resa. Might have a sequel.


Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Inkheart or any of the Ink-books for that matter.

Now s.o. asked how a mute woman can teach an illiterate man how to read. This is what I came up with. Enjoy: and please tell me what you think.

* * *

Resa moved swiftly. She'd learned from the mistakes she'd made the first time. This time she wouldn't get caught. She couldn't delay her freedom any longer, no matter what the risks. She was already tired but she ignored the throbbing in her feet and the scratches on her arms. What did it matter anyway, as long as she managed to go home? Were they still in the same house? How did Meggie look like now? Which was the first book she read? How did she wear her hair? Was Mo dating someone now? He probably was… a few years couldn't make him less attractive. Or was he married again?

"_Do I have the right to just walk into his life so many years later?" she wondered. _

Thus in thought, she walked briskly through the field. She knew she had to hurry because there was hardly any cover here. Just a little more until she reached those trees there. Then she felt it: the tiny venomous teeth. She cursed soundleslly as she limped towards a tree bank. She leaned on it for support as she examined the bite. It was not good. She already felt a little dizzy. The long walk had increased the speed of her blood flow, allowing the venom to travel faster. The limping hadn't helped, either. "_Now what?_" she asked herself as she tried to remember what little first aid she knew. She tore up a long line of her dress and tied it tightly around her knee. She tried to squeeze out some of the blood, hoping to remove the venom as well. Little black dots sprang in front of her eyes and she suddenly felt so tired. "_Please…_" she begged silently, "_I just want to see my family._" Then it was all darkness.

* * *

Resa woke up, her head buzzing. She hardly knew where she was. It took her some time to remember what had happened. Was she back in Capricorn's village? "_No_" she moaned in her mind, covering her face with her hands. She felt the tears threatening to flow when someone laid a hand on her forehead.

"Well, I'm glad you woke up. How are you feeling?" asked a man's voice.

She peeked through her hands and saw a face bent over her. It was a face with three long thin scars along its cheek. She quickly moved herself away from the stranger's hand.

"Hey! Don't be scared," he sounded offended.

She looked quizzically at him, sitting up in the bed.

"You were almost dead by the trees when I found you. What choice did I have but to bring you here? I had to take care of the wound somehow. It was one nasty snake bite you had there."

She nodded slowly. She finally remembered. Yes, of course: a snake bite. If she'd only been more careful. She looked around curiously.

"I'm Dustfinger. Strange name I know, but where I come from people have the weirdest names. What's yours?"

She looked at him and gestured to her mouth, shaking her head.

"You can't speak." He said. It was not a question, more of a statement.

She shook her head sadly.

"Well how…"

She put up the palm of her hand, a gesture to stop him. She pulled a piece of paper and a small pencil from her dress. Then she nodded to them, smiling.

It was her time to shake his head.

"I can't read," he said after some time lifting his shoulders.

It surprised him how much her look of disappointment touched him. She moved, leaning her back on the bed plank and furrowed her brow.

"I'll bring you some food. You're probably hungry."

When Dustfinger came back, Resa was still deep in thought. As she bit the apple, a revelation seemed to strike her. She ate it quickly and then she took out some paper. She made 26 small pieces from it. She then labeled them alphabetically with neat capital letters and stacked them up. When she was done she took some berries and ate them thoughtfully.

Dustfinger took the only chair in the little cabin and sat beside her bed.

"You're one of Capricorn's maids." Again it wasn't a question.

She nodded cautiously, fear showing in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm not going to tell on you for running away. But that's what you did, right?"

She nodded again. She looked so sad.

"Do you have a family to go back to? Or are you starting over?"

She looked at him, her eyes laughing. He thought about his question and then laughed too.

"I see: one question at a time. Alright: do you have a family?"

She nodded.

"Parents?"

This time she shook her head.

"Husband?"

She nodded and then she held her hand a little above the ground at the height of a child.

"Boy or a girl?"

She pointed at herself.

"I see, a girl. How old is she?"

Resa thought about it. Then she moved her fingers quickly: 10 + 2.

Dustfinger looked at her as if for the first time. She was so much like the woman in the photo, Silvertongue's wife. She looked about the right age and she had a daughter who was 12. The girl, Meggie, she was about that age too.

Resa observed him enquiringly, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, I just thought you couldn't have a twelve- year-old daughter. You look to young."

She laughed suddenly and her voice sounded beautiful. Dustfinger almost jumped.

"But you said… well not said but…"

She shrugged and moved her lips soundlessly.

"So your voice is audible only when you laugh." Dustfinger's eyes twinkled as he smiled. "Then I'll just have to make you laugh more often then."

She laughed again.

They talked like that for some time, until Resa looked too tired to keep up the conversation.

"You should sleep," Dustfinger almost ordered her. How strict he looked.

She smiled and nodded. Then she laid back and pulled up the cover.

"Good night," he murmered on his way out. He said it so quietly she almost didn't hear him.

He closed the door silently behind him and sat on the doorway step, thinking over his beautiful visitor. She was Silvertongue's wife. What little more he found out from their conversation was enough to prove it.

He thought about it. She'd spend years where he wanted to go back to. In exchange for him. Away from her home. A stranger. Like he was here. He suddenly felt strangely close to her. He recognized the sudden urge to bring her back to her family but then something else spoke: a small voice whispered it was all Silvertongue's fault. He caused their suffering: both his and hers. It was simply chance that she came back at the price of her voice. (Even Dustfinger knew that Darius was a very poor reader.) She might as well have stayed inside the book. Why should Silvertongue ever know? Years later Dustfinger realized he simple hadn't wanted to give Resa up.

* * *

It took Resa a few days before she could walk normally. They developed a simple hand code for some of the basic needs like food, walk outside, and so on. Then when Resa was strong enough she took out that small stack of paper and showed it to Dustfinger. Of course he didn't know any of the symbols and asked her confused whether she wanted to teach him how to read. He was bewildered when she simply nodded happily.

"I hope you have a good plan," he sighed.

She moved her hands expectantly, her fingers lifting like exclamation marks, and looked at him asking an unspoken question.

He nodded. "Yes, I want to learn." She smiled and took his hand. Then when they were outside she let go and bent down, looking at something on the ground. Then, when she found what she was looking for, she beckoned him with her hand. He came beside her observing at the pebbles and grass, feeling rather stupid. Then he saw what she was pointing at: an ant.

"Ant?" He asked.

She nodded and then she wrote with neat capital letter beneath the first card, labeled A: ANT.

She gave it to him. Then she pointed at one of the trees. "Birch?" Again she took out a card and labeled it clearly. Many cards followed: cat, dance, eagle, fire. Six was enough for one day. She made him remember these letters, writing them repeatedly, whispering the associated word. Then she wrote a word. "DEAF". He looked at it, comparing it to several of the cards until he found the right ones. He mentally repeated the associated words looking at the small pictures she'd drawn beside the words to remind him. He tried several times but with no success.

"A hint, please?"

She thought about it and pointed at her ears. He didn't get it. She thought again. Then she moved her hand, her finger imitating a mouth speaking, and pointed at her mouth. Than she clasped her hand over her lips to show she couldn't speak. Then she pointed at her ear and hid it with her hand as if she couldn't hear.

"Deaf?"

She smiled and nodded.

"It's difficult; it'll take a lot of time... and patience," he finally said. "But I'll learn," He smiled and held out his hand to her, "for you."

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it. It was somewhat difficult to come up with it. This was one- shot. However, if you liked it, please let me know. I'm thinking about writing a sequel that observes Dustfinger's and Resa's relationship more closely. I see there aren't many stories concerned with them.

If you'd like reading something like that or if you liked this story, please review )).


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